Quantum Random Number Generation (QRNG) (2026) | Resources, Research & Vendors

Foundations & Explainers

6 entries

How quantum indeterminacy produces true randomness.

01The Quantum Random Number Generator (JSTOR Daily)Sidney Perkowitz on the history of randomness, from dice to NIST's entangled-photon generator. 02What Is a QRNG? (Nanalyze)Accessible primer on QRNG hardware and the vendors building it. 03Implement a QRNG in Q# (Microsoft Learn)Hands-on tutorial building a QRNG from qubit superposition and measurement. 04IBM Quantum LearningFree courses where you can build a simple quantum random bit generator. 05ANU Quantum Random NumbersFree public service from the Australian National University producing quantum random numbers. 06RANDOM.ORGTrue random numbers from atmospheric noise (not quantum), for comparison.

Research Papers & Reviews

11 entries

Reviews and primary research on QRNG design and certification.

07Quantum Random Number Generators (Reviews of Modern Physics)Comprehensive review of QRNG principles and implementations. 08Quantum Random Number Generation (arXiv)Review of QRNG approaches and their security assumptions. 09Random Numbers Certified by Bell's Theorem (arXiv)Pironio et al. on device-independent randomness certified by Bell inequality violations. 10Randomness Certified by the Impossibility of Superluminal Signals (Nature)Experimentally generated randomness certified by physical principles. 11Certified Quantum Random Numbers from Untrusted Light (Physical Review X)Drahi et al. on a high-rate certified generator using an untrusted photonic source. 12QRNGs with Entanglement for Public Randomness Testing (Scientific Reports)Entanglement-based QRNG for public randomness beacons. 13Gaussian-Distributed QRNG Using Vacuum Shot Noise (Entropy)QRNG design based on vacuum shot noise. 14QRNG with an On-Chip Plasmonic BeamsplitterCompact on-chip QRNG using plasmonic waveguides. 15Bias-Free Source-Independent QRNG (Optics Express)Vacuum-fluctuation-based generator with bias removal. 16QRNG with the IBM 20Q Tokyo Quantum Computer (IACR ePrint)Testing random output from a real superconducting quantum computer. 17Committing to Quantum Resistance (Royal Society Open Science)A slow defence for Bitcoin against a fast quantum computing attack.

Standards & Testing

5 entries

How randomness sources are specified and tested.

18NIST SP 800-90BRecommendation for the entropy sources used for random bit generation. 19NIST Random Bit GenerationNIST project covering random bit generator standards and validation. 20NIST Interoperable Randomness BeaconsNIST work on publicly verifiable randomness beacons. 21ETSI Quantum-Safe CryptographyETSI standards work including quantum random number generation. 22QRANGE (EU Quantum Flagship)EU project developing next-generation QRNG prototypes.

Industry & Commercial QRNG Solutions

10 entries

Vendors selling QRNG hardware, appliances and entropy services.

23QRNG Providers directoryDirectory of commercial QRNG vendors on this site. 24ID Quantique – Random Number GenerationQuantis QRNG chips, PCIe cards and appliances. 25QNu Labs – Tropos QRNGIndian vendor of laser-based, high-throughput QRNG hardware. 26QuintessenceLabsQuantum random number generation and entropy-as-a-service for enterprise key management. 27Crypta Labs QRNG ApplianceQRNG appliance specification, with NIST SP 800-90B compliance. 28QusideSpin-off from ICFO building QRNG chips and entropy sources. 29Quantum DiceOxford spin-out building QRNGs with continuous entropy verification. 30QryptQuantum entropy delivered through APIs and SDKs. 31QuantropiQuantum-secure data protection and key generation platform. 32QuantinuumQuantum computing company offering certified randomness from its machines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a QRNG?

A quantum random number generator measures a quantum process, such as photon arrival times or vacuum fluctuations, to produce randomness that is physically unpredictable rather than computed from a seed.

How is a QRNG different from a pseudo-random generator?

A pseudo-random generator is deterministic given its seed, while a QRNG derives bits from quantum measurement, so even full knowledge of the device cannot predict the next bit, assuming the hardware works as designed.

What does device-independent mean?

Device-independent generators certify randomness from the statistics of Bell-test experiments, without trusting the internal workings of the devices.

How is QRNG output tested?

With statistical test suites and entropy-source validation such as NIST SP 800-90B, plus continuous health monitoring of the physical source.

Where can I buy a QRNG?

See the QRNG Providers directory for ID Quantique, QNu Labs, Crypta Labs, Quside, Quantum Dice and others.